Esters of hydrogenated abietyl alcohol and method of producing



. alent by heating so produced will consist -group to the-alcohol group r esters.

ducedby any suitable method,

for the hydrogenation of unsaturated comlyst, such Patented Sept. 20, 1938 ss'rsas oonor.

' Irvin W.

DeL, a oorporation o! No Drawing.

This inventi'on relates to esters of hydrogenated abietyl alcohol and method of producing.

The esters contemplated by this invention will be produced from fully or partially hydrogenated abietyl alcohol, as, for example, dihydro and tetrahydro abietyl alcohol or their mixtures, by reaction with an organic acid or an equivalent therefor according to the method contemplated by this invention.

More specifically in producing esters in accordance with this invention abietyl alcohol may be first hydrogenated to the desired degree and then esterified with an organioacid or equivwith or without the use of an esterifi'cationcatalyst. Or' the abietyl alcohol may first be esterifled with the organic acid, and the abietyl ester so formed hydrogenated to the desired degree. The hydrogenated abietyl alcohol may also be prepared directly by the hydrogenation and reduction 0! the abietyl of abietic acid or its In proceeding to the practical-adaptation oi this invention theabietyl alcohol may. be proas for example by dissolving an ester of abietic acid, for exam-.- ple, ethyl or methyl abietate, in amonohydric aliphatic alcohol, for example, ethyl or butyl alcohol, heating the solution with metallic sodium, diluting the solution with water, distilling of the low boiling alcohol, and finally extracting the abietyl alcohol iormed by means of a water immiscible solvent, as benzene." Hydrogenationn of the abietyl-alcohol so produced may be accomplished byany oi the well known methods p u ds. e

Hydrogenated abietyl alcohol may also be ob-- tained by reducing the carboxyl group of hydrogenated abietic acid to a primary alcohol group by treatment oi hydrogenated abietic acid, or

rosin, or anester of hydrogenated abietic acid with hydrogen under pressure of say about 70- at anjelevated temperature of copper; chromite, nickel chromite, e, is more fully disclosed in my application for United States Letters Patent, Serial Number 004,859. filed April. 12, 1932, of

as, for. example,

to. all as which this application is a continua tion in part; The hydrogenated abietyl alcohol oi dihydro or tetrahydroabietyl alcohol-or a mixture thereof depending upon the exact conditions of temperature andpressure employed.

0F HYDBOGENATED AND METHOD OF Humphrey, Wilmington, to Hercules Powder Company,-

Delaware Application August so, 1933, Serial No. some;

46 Claims- (CL 280-400) a hydrogen pressure of about lyst such as copper-chromite,

' base metal hydrogenation about 150-225 C. and under .mospheres hydrogen pressure,

- salicylic, lactic,

PATENT OFFICE mm AL- rnonuomo Del., assignor Wilmington,

Thus. for example, a rosin ester, as ethyl abietate, in solution in ethyl alcohol is heated with metallic sodium and the abietyl alcohol formed is recovered. The abietyl alcohol is then treated with hydrogen at elevated temperature and, 5 pressure in the presence of a base metal hy'drogenation catalyst as nickel, cobalt, copper chrof mite, etc., or at lower temperatures in the presence of a noble metal catalyst as platinum, palladium, etc. For example,the abietyl alcohol 10 may be hydrogenated by treatment with hydrogen ata temperature of 125-225 .C., and under 5-400, atmospheres, in the presence of a nickelhydrogenation catalyst. Such procedure will result in the production of a mixture oi dihydroand tet'rahydroabietyl alcohol by addition of hydrogen to the abietyl alcohol. The

proportion increased with increase oi the pressure used 50. above about 100 atmospheres.

Alternatively, for example, the hydrogenated abietyl alcohol may be produced by reducing the. ester group of, for example, hydrogenated ethyl butyl or methyl abietate to the alcohol group with hydrogen, ata temperature of about 225-325 C., under-pressure of 80-1000 atmospheres and in the presence of, a conversion catanickel chromite. etc. If desired hydrogenated rosin, dihydroabietic acid, tetrahydroabietic acid, ortheir mixtureamay be converted into dihydroor tetrahydro-abietyl alcohol or mixtures thereof similarly. The rosin ester, rosin, or abietic acid may be first hydrogenated by contacting with a= I catalyst as nickel, copper-chromite, cobalt, etc., at a temperature of about 10-500 atyielding either dlhYdI'O-r and tetrahydro-abietate esters or dihydroand-tetrahydro-abietic acid. The esters contempla by this invention may he formed by reacting partially or fully hydro genated abietyl alcohol with an organic acid, or equivalently with an organic anhydride, or certain organic acid compounds, as organic acid chlorides, acid esters, etc. The organic acid or equivalent. may ,bearomatic, hydroaromatic,' he'terooyclic, or aliphatic. and may :be monobasio or polybasic. As illustrative, the organic acid or equivalent may, for example, be acetic, butyric, propionic, valeric, iuroic, benzoic, cinnamic, oleic, palmitic, stearic, lauri linoleic; linolenic, abietic, dihydro abietic, tetrahydro abietic, pimaric, ricinoleic, 'dihydroxy 5s drogenated abietyl alcohol.

v bodying this invention for -ample, 1-8% by weight of bio, mellissic, margaric, toluic, erucic, levulinic,

myristicfimonylic, sativic, undecylenic, alpha or beta-elaeostearic, etc., I adipic, citric, citraconic, maleic, malic, tartaric,

sebacic, succinic, terep thalic, phthalic, itaconic,

malonic, oxalic, glutaric, suberic, camphoronic,

methyl succinic, terephthalic, azelaic, -aconitic, tricarballylic, diphenic, fumaric, naphthalic, acids present in copal and kauri, and pyromellitic, etc., or mixtures thereof. Substituted. organic acids as monochlor acetic, dichlor acetic, nitrobenzoic, etc., may be used.. likewise the acidic groups in acid esters as mono-methyl succinate, alpha-terpinene monobutyl maleate, the monoethyl maleate of methyl abietate, the dimethyl maleate of abietic acid, the monomethyl ester of alpha-pinene-maleic anhydride, monoethyl phthalate, etc., may be esterifled with hy- As indicated, organic anhydrides, as acetic, phthalic, maleic, succinic, etc. anhydrides, or addition products of maleic anhydride to unsaturated compounds, as terpinene-maleic anhydride, dipentene-maleic anhydride, abietic-acid-maleic anhydride, abietyl-alcohol maleic anhydride, 'butadiene-maleic anhydride, pinene-m used.

Since hydrogenated abietyl alcohol is high boiling, the esters may generally be produced without the useof acatalyst, especially when leic anhydride etc. may be the organic acid is also comparably non-volatile,

as is the case, for example, with abietic, hydrogenated abietic, succinic, stearic, palmitic, etc., acids. However, it is frequently desirable to employ a catalystand when such is used, for ex- I dry hydrogen chloride or concentrated hydrochloric acid, less than 1% of concentrated sulphuric acid, anhydrous zinc chloride, small amounts of phosphoric acid, or a small percentage of paratoluene sulphonic acid, benzene sulphonic acid, acid sodium sulphate, boric anhydride, etc., or mixtures thereof will be found satisfactory.

If desired in carrying out the method conteme plated a relatively low boiling water irmniscible solvent for the ester product, as benzene, toluene, carbon tetrachloride, etc., may be used to assist in the removalof the water of reaction.

In the practical adaptation of the method emproduction of the esters contemplated, generally speaking the hydrogenated abietyl alcohol, as dihydro or tetrahydro abietyl alcohol, or a mixture thereof, will be reacted by heating with an organic acid, or equivalently an organic anhydride, or acid compound of an organic acid, as an acid ester, with or without-use of a catalyst and/or a low boiling water immiscible solvent to facilitate the removal of water of reaction. On completion of .may be carried out bypassing an excess of the volatile acid into the heated hydrogenated abietyl alcohol. The excess acid may be removed along with the water of reaction by distillation.

In proceeding, the reaction may be carriedv out or mixtures thereof;

of hydrogenated rosin at any operable temperature and pressure. Any temperature, including room temperature, which will not decompose the reagents or the product, under the pressure conditions prevailing and at which the reaction will proceed, in other words, various reaction temperatures may be used. Generally speaking, the reaction will proceed desirably at temperatures say within about the range 150-300 C., and generally fairly rapidly at 175-225 C., under atmospheric pressure, while, desirably, permitting the water produced in the reaction to escape. The reaction will generally be completed, when using the temperatures indicated, within about 2-15 hours depending upon the temperature, catalyst, reactivity of the acid, and proportion of reagents.

The reagents may be heated in any desired proportion, but usually itwill be found eflicient to react the hydrogenated abietyl alcohol and an organic acid or equivalent in about the desired chemically equivalent reacting proportions forming neutral or acid esters from polybasic acids.

As specifically illustrative of the practical adaptation of the method in accordance with this invention for the production of the product contemplated, for example, 9 parts by weight of hydrogenated abietyl alcohol, say comprising a mixture of dihydro and tetrahydro abietyl alcohol, is heated at about 200 C., for about 8 hours with 1.8 parts of succinic acid, using an air condenser to permit the removal of water of reaction. The hydrogenated abietyl alcohol will be converted into an ester of low acidity. v

As a further illustration, 21 parts of hydrogenated abietyl alcohol is allowed to react with 80 parts of acetic anhydride, containing 4 parts of sulphuric acid as a catalyst, at room temperature, for three days. The resultant ester will show only a few percent of unreacted alcohol.

As a further illustration, 10 parts of hydrogenated abietyl alcohol are-heated with 10 parts for 5 hours at 250-260 C., and then for 5 more hours at 260-280 C. The resultant ester is a hydrogenated abietyl hydroabietate.

The esters in accordance with this invention are usually amorphous compounds. Sometimes they are'very viscous liquids but are more generally solids with melting points varying from about 50 to 100". C. (dro-pmethod). When conditions are such as to effect a high degree of esterification the acid number varies from 5 to 25. They are in general more readily saponified than of the abietyl alcohol, and exhibit much lower.

iodin values than those of the corresponding non-hydrogenated abietyl esters. Their properties also depend upon the purity of the hydrogenated abietyl alcohol used.

The prbducts in accordance with this invention will be found variously adaptable for use in the commercial arts as, for example, ingredients in coating compositions, as lacquer, varnishes, etc., or in plastic compositions. The products in accordance with this invention may be advanta-' geously used in such compositions to replace in whole or in part other resins heretofore used for such purposes.

This application is-fi1ed as a continuation in part of an application for United States patent for method of producing abietyl alcohol and product, filed by me April 12, 1932, Serial Number 604,859.

What I claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. An organic carboxylic acid ester of hydrogenated abietyl alcohol. I

2. A monobasic carboxylic acid ester of hydrogenated abietyl alcohol.

hydrogenated abietyl alcohol.

7. A fatty acid ester of hydrogenated abietyl alcohol.

a. The method of forming an ester which includes reacting hydrogenated abietyl alcohol with an organic carboxylic acid.

9. The method of forming an ester which includes reacting hydrogenated abietyl alcohol with an acid organic carboxylic acid compound.

10. The method of forming .an ester which includes reacting hydrogenated abietyl alcohol with an organic carboxylic acid in the presence of heat at a reaction temperature. o 11. The method of forming an ester which includes reacting hydrogenated abietyl alcohol with an organic carboxylic acid at a temperature of about 150 to about 300 C.

' ture of about 12. The method of forming an ester which includes reacting hydrogenated abietyl alcohol with an organic carboxylic acid-in the presence of an esterification catalyst.

13. The method of forming an. ester which includes reacting abietyl alcohol with an organic carboxylic acid in the presence or heat at a reaction temperature and in the presence of an esteriflcationcatalyst.

14. The method of forming an ester which includes reacting hydrogenated abietyl alcohol with an organic carboxylic acid at a tempera- 150 to about 300 C. and in the presence of an esterification catalyst.

15. A polybasic carboxylic acid ester of hydrogenated abietyl alcohol.

16. A hydroxy carboxylic acid ester of hydrogena'ted abietyl alcohol.

1'7. A cyclic genated abietyl alcohol.

18. An unsaturated carboxylic acid ester of hydrogenated abietyl alcohol. 1

19. A saturatedcarboxylicacid ester of hydrogenated abietyl alcohol.

20. A su hydrogenated abietyl alcohol.

21. A phthalic acid ester of hydrogenated abietyl alcohol.

22. A hydrogenated abietic acid ester of hydroof hydrogenated abietyl alcohol.

genated abietyl alcohol. o

23. The method oiforming an ester which includes reacting hydrogenated abietyl alcohol with an organic carboxylic acid at a temperature of about 175 C. to about 225 C.

24. The method of forming an ester which includes reacting hydrogenated abietyl 'replaced by carboxylic acid ester of hydro? 'stituted. carbonylic acid ester of alcohol with a resin acid in the presence or heat at a reaction temperature.

25. The method of forming cludes reacting hydrogenated abietyl alcohol with a fatty acid in the presence of heat at a reaction temperature.

26. The method of forming an ester which includes reacting hydrogenated abietyl alcohol with phthalic acid in the presence of heat at a reaction temperature.

27. The method of forming an ester'which includes reacting hydrogenated abietyl alcohol with hydrogenated abietic acid in the presence of heat at a reaction temperature.

28. A carboxylic acid alcohol. I H

29. A compound oi the general formula Ab- CI-I O-R, where Ab stands for the hydrocarbon nucleus of ,hydroabietic acid, while R stands for an organic radical of the alkyl, aralkyl, cycloalkyl or aryl series.

ester of hydro-abietyl an ester which in- 30. The ester of hydroabietyl alcohol and an acetic acid. 4

31. Hydroabietyl acetate.

32.. Hydroabletyl-hydroabietate.

33. An ester of a polycarboxylic acid wherein the hydrogen of at least one carboxyl group is 34. A hydroabietyl phthalate.

35. The method which includes reacting in the the radical'of a hydroabietyl alcohol: a

presence of heat a hydroxyl group of a hydrogenated abietyl alcohol with a carboxyl group derived from a carboxylic acid.

36. The method of producing an ester which includes reacting in the presence of heat a hydroxyl group of a hydrogenated abietyl alcohol with a carboxyl group of a polycarboxylic acid.

37. The method of producing an ester which includes reacting in the the presence of a volatile water-immiscible solvent for the ester product a hydroxyl group of hydrogenated abietyl alcohol with a carboxyl group of a polycarboxylic acid.

'38. Hydroabietyl phthalate.

39. The method of forming an ester which includes reacting hydrogenated abietyl alcohol with a carboxylic acid anhydride.

40. The process of preparing a carboxylic acid ester of hydroabietyl alcohol, which comprises reacting hydroabietyl alcohol with a carboxylic acid compound under anhydrous conditions.

.41. The method of forming an ester which includes reacting hydrogenated abietyl alcohol with a carboxylic acid in the presence oi a dehydrating agent.

42. The method of forming an ester which includes reacting a hydroxyl group of hydrogenated abietyl alcohol with a carboxyl group of a carboxylic acid. .4 I

43. The method of forming an ester which includes reacting hydrogenated abietyl alcoholwith presence of heat and in 45. The method of forming an ester which in cludes reacting hydrogenated abietyl alcohol with an organic polycarboxylic acid.

' 46. A hydroxy polycarboxylic acid ester or hydrogenated abietyl alcohol.

IRVIN 

